This would all have been relayed as it happened, if only I had brought my laptop. Since I didn’t, the New York highlights continue after the fact, this time related to food and fun:

• Tribeca Grill, which is co-owned by actor Robert de Niro. The building itself is in a historic 1905 warehouse, with exposed brick, a mahogany bar and enormous glass chandeliers that looked like spaceships. I couldn’t finish my New York strip steak, it was so big!
• Tempo, a great neighbourhood restaurant in Brooklyn. Our dinearound group was all Canadian, with the exception of one Australian. Obviously in her honour, the music playing as we entered was Waltzing Matilda as sung by Tom Waits.
• Gotham Bar & Grill, an elegant restaurant at 12 East 12th Street. Friends said the three-course prix fixe lunch left them breathless, and it definitely was amazing. The miso black cod was delicious, topped only by the dessert: Gotham’s signature warm flourless chocolate cake. You can have one baked to order, frozen and sent to you for just $82 plus shipping!
• Drinks at the pretty rooftop bar at the Peninsula Hotel. Called Salon de Ning, the large outdoor terrace and interior bar has panoramic views over 5th Avenue and the Manhattan skyline. The name refers to Madame Ning, a celebrated Shanghai socialite, world traveler and international hostess, who presided over “salons” in her stylish residences.
• Big Onion Walking Tours‘ multi-ethnic “noshing” tour of the Lower East Side. My friend Kalene and I learned about immigration changes in the neighbourhoods we walked through, stopping for tastes of pickle, plaintain, parmigiana and more. We ended with cannoli (which our guide told us is already the plural of cannolo, but lots of people say “cannolis”) in Little Italy, before heading over to Canal Street to look at purses.

Finally, I have to say a real highlight of the trip was sharing it with my roomie, friend, colleague and podcasting queen, Donna. You’re the best!

Taking notes during a conference is a great way to remind yourself of the speakers you heard and the insights you gained. Otherwise, I find one presentation tends to blur into another and it’s the standout performance (Seth Godin springs to mind) that you remember. Looking over my notes, I can tell you there were other highlights from the IABC conference in New York:

Carol Kinsey Goman on “The silent language of leadership,” based on her book, The Nonverbal Advantage. An interesting tidbit: “When verbal and body language are out of alignment, people believe the body.” Things that sabotage what you are saying: limited eye contact, turning away, crossed arms/legs, hidden hands, narrowed eyes. Body language that builds rapport: eye contact (long enough to register the colour), leaning forward, smiling, nodding, synchronizing your movements.

Kare Anderson on “Becoming their trusted, top-of-mind expert.” She recommended finding your “double major” – the two main skills that make you valuable. (”Ask five friends what of what you know is most valuable.”) Also find “unlikely allies” – people in different professions and with different interests – who have overlapping interests. “Give before you ask.”

Steve Crescenzo on “Blogging for business – the communicator’s role.” (The presentation is available on his site until July 10.) Steve sees our role as one of four: (1) be the talent (2) be the talent scout (3) be the coach (4) be the multi-media superstar. He recommended “hit and run blogging,” or starting small with a short-term blog on a specific topic. Pick the topics it makes sense to blog about (where you want a conversation). The blogger doesn’t have to be an executive, just someone with something to say.

I also enjoyed Leah Reynolds from Deloitte talking about generational differences in the workforce; Angela Sinickas on measurement (although I missed half the presentation because of misreading the schedule/an unfortunate scheduling of sessions); and Tudor Williams and his son Ryan Williams on social media.

If you were there, what sessions stood out for you?

The IABC International Conference in New York City was great! I got back Wednesday evening but have been scrambling ever since to catch up - I didn’t bring my laptop and couldn’t log in using my roomie’s (forgot my password). I’m up against deadlines and Son #2 had his grade 12 prom Thursday night.

Some independents choose not to attend conferences like this because we have to shell out up front, although we can claim the expenses at tax time. I admit to giving any conference careful consideration, and certainly location plays a big part in whether I seriously plan to attend or not. So, New York this year? Why not!

This conference is actually a great experience for indies. Everyone has a huge badge that clearly identifies them as communicators; you get on the elevator, see the badge and have an immediate connection. Where are you from? How are you enjoying the conference? What have you liked so far? So it’s great practice meeting people in a supportive environment.

I met people from various parts of Canada, the U.S., Australia, Belgium, Japan, Mexico and Turkey; it truly is an international event! I also deliberately sought out other Canadians (it was easy; we had a red ribbon for our badges), and ended up spending some time with other communicators from Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. A highlight on the social side was the opening reception at the Rainbow Room, sponsored by Deloitte, followed by the always-amazing Canadian hospitality suite, sponsored by CNW. Many of us danced the night away!

The highlight of the conference speakers was Seth Godin’s talk on the last day. I’ve been following his blog for some time but this was the first time I’d seen him in action. Terrific energy, great presentation, inspiring words about marketing and a pair of knock-your-socks-off socks (Little Miss Matched)!

Next year the conference is in San Francisco. Why not?

Stephen King’s books used to be on my reading list; early in my working career, I read The Shining on the train from the suburbs into the city. I would get on the train and start reading, and suddenly I would look up, eyes wide and heart pounding, and the train had arrived. But after a few more of his books, he just began creeping me right out and I gave him up.

So after hearing good things about his On Writing, it was a pleasure to find that, naturally, it’s written in a totally different style than his usual horror shows. It’s also way funnier than I expected. The first part of the book is an interesting account of what he calls his “herky-jerky” childhood. Great use of metaphors, description, stories, anecdotes.

His advice about writing is solid (if not really new), but I think he struggles with trying to explain something that to him comes as naturally as breathing. He recommends Strunk and White’s Elements of Style. Suggests reading a lot. Writing a lot. Advises focusing on good storytelling, using description, dialogue and character development. He says it boils down to “seeing or hearing clearly and then transcribing what you see or hear with equal clarity (and without using a lot of tiresome, unnecessary adverbs).”

What he also shares, though, is encouragement:

“The rest of [the book] – and perhaps the best of it – is a permission slip: you can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will. Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink. Drink and be filled up.”

Today is Take Your Dog to Work Day, as I learned from the Mental Floss e-newsletter. Launched in 1999, the day celebrates “the great companions dogs make” and encourages adoption from humane societies, animal shelter and breed rescue clubs.

We didn’t adopt Jake, our resident dog, from the local shelter. We did visit the shelter, and it just about broke my heart to see the animals waiting for a “forever” home. But we were looking for our first dog, and I thought it more likely dogs from a shelter would have “issues” – behavioural problems I didn’t feel equipped to handle. Little did I know that dogs, like people, come with their own personalities and issues, which you have to deal with anyway. I’ve done some volunteer work this year for my local Humane Society, and that inside look has convinced me that adopting from a shelter is a good thing.
But back to this special day, which for Jake is every day. In fact, the main reason we even have a dog is that I have a home office; that, along with the pleadings of two (then) small boys! Jake’s job is to make sure I get out and walk each day, rain or shine. He makes sure I stop working at a decent hour (his supper time). He also thinks his job is to bark at people who have the nerve to walk past our house. While sometimes this is annoying, there have been break-ins in the neighbourhood, and I have to think a vocal dog helps deter random crime.

So here’s to Jake and all the other dogs out there busy rounding out family life. Happy Take Your Dog to Work Day!

According to an article in Sunday’s Toronto Star, Father’s Day seems “like an afterthought” compared to Mother’s Day.

Writer Sara Barmak says, “Despite the concerted efforts of greeting-card makers everywhere, compared with the emotional behemoth that is Mother’s Day, the more recently invented holiday celebrating our dads still doesn’t carry the same symbolic weight.”

She goes on to quote a restaurant owner saying the place was booked solid for Mother’s Day brunch, but less so for dads. “Dads, he figured, don’t care much about which restaurant they go to, and are leaving the choice to the last minute.”

I think it’s more likely all those daughters and wives aren’t making reservations, they are at home making dinner.  That’s what happened in my house, and both my own father and my sons’ father did not have to lift a finger. There were cards and gifts, too (not a tie in the bunch). All in all, pretty much what happened for Mother’s Day.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad, also known around here as Mr. Fix for his awesome abilities to repair, construct, invent and create. Sadly, he didn’t pass along the handyman gene to me.

Really, I’m working away here, but I just had to stop and share this.

A client invited me to sit in on a conference call, with the intent of writing an article for the employee newsletter. Before the call, the fellows we’d be talking to took the time to write up a draft article. I’m sure they think the final version will just have a few things added here and there.

I appreciate the effort, but they are mistaken. Here’s why: I ran the readability stats, and this is the result:

• Average words per sentence: 41 (the aim should be 14)
• Reading ease: 6.3 (aim: at least 60%)
• Passive sentences: 40% (aim: no more than 10%)
• Grade level: 12 (aim: grade 9 or less)

My mission, which I have accepted, is to turn this into a readable account of some hard work done by a group of employees who really do deserve some recognition.

What a great exercise in telling a story and setting a mood, in a tight framework too! I’m talking about the Copyblogger’s Twitter Writing Contest. The goal: Write a story in exactly 140 characters (the length of a post on Twitter, aka a tweet). Not more, not less; exactly.

The contest is over now, after collecting 300 entries. The winner: Ron Gould, with:

“Time travel works!” the note read. “However you can only travel to the past and one-way.” I recognized my own handwriting and felt a chill.

I also liked the sample Copyblogger’s Brian Clark posted:

Three flies are bugging me on the deck. I kill two, and spare the third. “Go tell the others this is what happens,” I warn as he buzzes off.

Speechwriter Jean Gogolin is continuing the fun, asking for suggestions in her June e-newsletter. Her own sample:

On Friday, she put the children to bed and poisoned their father; then dragged him to a new grave in the woods. On Sunday, she took the children to Mass, smiling serenely.

My own attempt:

She seldom hitchhiked, but on this day she did. The car stopped and the driver said get in; she did. Later, she would wonder if it was fate.

Why not give it a try? And do share your 140-character story with me or with Jean!

There’s something so appealing about humour, I don’t know why people feel the need to be stuffy. A posting on MyRagan led me to Woot, an online store and community that sells “cool stuff cheap.” One look at the job postings shows you this crew has a great sense of humour:

• “It’s not all sell, sell, sell around here. Sometimes we buy stuff from people…And those people like to get paid. We could just grab fistfuls of cash from our vault, stuff them in envelopes, and mail them out…or you could come help us do this right.”
• “We’re looking for a few good sales people with drive, charisma, and the ability to aid us on our march toward global supremacy. Mwah-ha-ha-ha.”
• “The worst part of the job [corporate recruiter]: Pitilessly crushing the dreams of bright-eyed, hopeful applicants.”
• “In this job [project coordinator], you’ll learn that herding cats is relatively simple, compared to herding humans.”

Likewise, Brains on Fire (found via Jean Gogolin’s WordWright blog) shows off their humour and creativity in the agency’s job titles. The agency provides naming for companies, new products and services, and the team does a good job of naming their own people: Chief Inspiration Officer, Account Shepherd, Word of Mouth Guru, Keeper of the Cash, Princess of Particulars.

At one time, I was treasurer for one of my networking groups. I gave myself the title of Money Queen and wore a tiara to present the budget. Strangely, the fellow who took on the job after me did not want to follow suit.

Talk about a deft turn of phrase! There’s an interesting article in today’s Toronto Star called “Patient gets brain surgery - fully awake,” by Joseph Hall. Besides being a fascinating account of the surgery, the reporter uses great description like this:

“Glioma, as it is also known, is a whack-a-mole cancer, with tumours that are treated or removed in one part of the brain often popping up in another soon after.”

Isn’t that great? Hall also captures the sense of humour of the surgeon, who calls the walnut-sized tumour he removes “Fred.”  This goes in my file of “Damn, I wish I wrote that.”

There’s a link to a video from the article, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to watch it. I can still vividly recall standing in the health pavilion at Expo ‘67 in Montreal, watching a wall-sized screen of open heart surgery. Far off, I could hear my mother’s voice saying, “If you feel faint, sit down and put your head between your knees.” I was indeed about to faint, although I didn’t realize it!